


lost repose

by siliquastrum



Category: Naruto
Genre: Domesticity, Flirting, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Hatake Kakashi Is Trying, Hatake Kakashi is Bad at Feelings, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Post-War, do not copy to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:34:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25602910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siliquastrum/pseuds/siliquastrum
Summary: The morning breaks with Gai humming and the scent of breakfast. The sun drifting in through the curtains, familiar sounds, and home-y smells: Kakashi wishes he could wake to this each morning. He stretches, shifting towards the sunbeams, like an old house cat.  Eventually, he gets up in search of food.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Comments: 22
Kudos: 115





	lost repose

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Thosesweetninjas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thosesweetninjas/gifts).



> A Belated Happy Birthday to Sweets! I hope you enjoy it.

Even with the pack curled up around Kakashi, the bedroom in the Hokage residence is too big. Too empty. Too quiet. The hum of a fully functional AC unit is much quieter than the rickety one in his old apartment that needed a good shock to start working. Or so Kakashi claims. Blames his insomnia on that. Or the lack of noise from the street outside. All he can hear out the window is the crickets singing their nightly tune. Eventually, the clock on his bedside table reads 3:00, and Kakashi realises there’s no point staying here if he’s not going to fall asleep. 

The dry summer night air of Konoha feels welcome when contrasted with the sweltering heat the sun brings. Kakashi sneaks from rooftop to rooftop, as if nothing’s changed since he was fifteen and sneaking towards the same place he is now. The scent of night jasmine and citronella candles fill the streets, and a few straggler fireflies float around way past the dusk they explore in. Kakashi lets one land on his hand before it buzzes away to meet its friends. This night is meant for company. 

Which is why Kakashi’s insomniac mind has led him here; Gai’s balcony is a small jungle, through which Kakashi treads carefully before pressing his face against the balcony door. His breath fogs up the glass for a few seconds as his eyes adjust. It doesn’t take long before there’s movement from inside and the screen slides open. 

“Kakashi?” Gai’s voice is soft from sleep and pulls gently at Kakashi’s heart, “What time is it?” 

Kakashi leans against the doorframe, before answering: “Some time after midnight,” 

In this new peacetime, Gai’s balance on the tightrope of what they leave unsaid seems to waver. 

“I’m not going to disappear, you know,” 

“I know,” Kakashi says. If there’s one thing Gai’s been in his life so far, it’s _present_. 

“Did something happen?” Gai asks, concern and confusion lacing together. 

_That is the question, isn’t it?_ Kakashi runs through the possible responses he can give. He contemplates going back to his too big, too quiet room. 

“Couldn’t sleep,” he settles for a half truth. 

Gai gestures a ‘come inside’ with his head as he stifles a yawn, sleep’s veil still wrapped around him tightly. When Kakashi steps into the slippers left by the window, he realises they’re his size. Not Gai’s, _his_ , left by the balcony for him. He’s put these slippers on hundreds of times, and never spared a passing thought. He closes the glass door behind him before he can give in to his sudden urge to run. 

The house is just as warm as the night outside, giving Kakashi the gift of a view that is Gai without a shirt. The lacing pattern of faint burns streaks across Gai’s back, and for a split second Kakashi sees those lines glow like embers. As soon as Gai moves to open the fridge, the illusion breaks. 

Two glasses of cold water are placed on the counter, Gai slides one towards Kakashi. 

“It’s good for you,” He says with a smile, and Kakashi has to tamp down on the instinct to run once more. He drinks the water. _Maybe the damn butterflies will drown._

Drown they do not. In fact, they become more persistent as Gai stretches. Kakashi’s always been aware his best friend is attractive, he may be a fool but he’s not blind. It’s that awareness that spells his doom. 

“I’m not really awake,” Gai confesses, “will you be okay if I go back to sleep?” 

Kakashi nods. 

“The AC in here is broken, if it gets too hot there’s a fan in my room,” he continues, “I’ll see you in the morning?” 

Another nod. 

“Goodnight, rival,” Gai places a gentle hand on Kakashi’s arm before making his way back to his room. Kakashi feels frozen on the spot watching him go. 

He blames his breathing difficulties on the heatwave. After fifteen minutes of stubbornly trying to read his book, Kakashi caves. No electrical device is broken if he’s around. He stands on the sofa to reach the unit with ease, then concentrates a small amount of chakra on his hand. Sparks jump to his fingertips and for two seconds the old machine sounds like it’s coming back to life. It’s then followed by a concerning _thunk,_ and a small puff of smoke wafts out from the plastic flaps. 

“Your air conditioning is broken,” Kakashi says as he unfolds the spare futon in Gai’s room. He swears he can hear Gai giggle as he falls asleep, the sound of the fan lulling him into dreams. 

\---

The morning breaks with Gai humming and the scent of breakfast. The sun drifting in through the curtains, familiar sounds, and home-y smells: Kakashi wishes he could wake to this each morning. He stretches, shifting towards the sunbeams, like an old house cat. Eventually, he gets up in search of food. 

Like the night before, there’s two plates of food. The eggs look perfectly runny, like a sun surrounded by fluffy clouds, and the mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach smell divine. Kakashi’s sense of panic is overruled by his hunger. He sits down as Gai places two glasses of orange juice on the table before sliding into the other chair. 

“Thank you for the food,” Kakashi says, and he means it, “You didn’t have to make extra, Gai.”

“I wanted to make sure you eat something before you avoid work for the day,” Gai points out, 

“I don’t _avoid_ work,” 

“My apologies,” Gai says, while the opposite of apologetic, “What’s on your schedule today?”

Kakashi pauses to think before answering, “I’m making dinner for the kids, Sasuke’s due to leave soon,” 

“Do you want any help with that?” 

The market isn’t too crowded, most sane people either keep indoors or have found other ways of keeping themselves cool. Kakashi finds himself arguing with the grocer who’s trying to give him vegetables for free. The old lady won’t budge until Gai steps in and intervenes. Kakashi sighs heavily as they leave her stall. 

“What is our cooking challenge?” Gai asks after they unpack the groceries with an almost practiced ease. 

“Miso ramen,” Kakashi replies and hands Gai a knife, “I promised Naruto I’d make some one day, -chop those onions, please- and the occasion seems fitting enough,” 

He’s halfway through cutting the meat when Gai declares he’s done. 

“I win,” he says, cheeky grin and all. 

“Maa, you had a head start,” 

“Excuses,”

“It’s not a challenge if you have a head start,” Kakashi _isn’t_ sulking,

“Fine, I’ll let you start first this time,” 

“I don’t need the advantage,” 

The kitchen is quickly filled with the smells of grilled meat and broth. As the food stews away, the duo clean the used crockery. With almost practiced movement, Kakashi washes each utensil before handing them over to Gai who dries and puts them back. It’s a peaceful moment, until it isn’t: Kakashi flicks water at Gai’s face. 

“ _Hey!_ ”

Kakashi grins widely under the mask. Before he can dash to safety, Gai grabs hold of him, trying to keep Kakashi still enough while he squirms to extract payback. Kakashi tries to break out of the hold and practically shrieks as Gai throws water straight to his face. 

They tussle for a bit more before tripping and crashing to the floor. Breathless from laughter, Kakashi half-wishes he could stay like this forever. He rests his head on Gai’s shoulder, blissful. The idyl is broken by the oven timer announcing the broth is done. From what Kakashi can tell from the smell alone, the food is almost ready. 

“Your students will be here soon,” Gai says, glancing at the clock. 

“This is your last chance to escape,” Kakashi jokes. 

“Yeah,” the reply is awkward, as is the gentle squeeze of Kakashi’s shoulder, “I’ll see you soon,” 

The house doesn’t feel as vast when filled with the loud chatter of Sakura and Naruto’s bizarre conversations. Sasuke occasionally chips in, usually offering snide remarks to one of his teammates. The three of them sitting around Kakashi’s table, bickering like a day hasn’t passed since they were twelve makes him laugh. Naruto’s face when Kakashi places a bowl of ramen in front of him is priceless. 

“ _Kakasensei,_ you made ramen?!” 

“Special occasion,” Kakashi says, then sits down at the table, “I was originally planning it for your birthday, but Sasuke won’t be here for that,” 

Naruto squints at the bowl suspiciously, “There aren't _vegetables_ in this, right?”

“Eat your food, _dobe_ ,” 

“And say thank you,” Sakura adds,

“ _‘ank you,_ ” Naruto says, mouth already full of noodles, “Wait, this is really good, you know!”

“You say that every time Kakashi cooks for us,” 

The room falls silent except for the sounds of chopsticks and ladles. The sign of a good meal. 

“So, Sasuke,” Kakashi starts after the bowls are empty, “What are your plans?”

“Probably going through the smaller countries. The less shinobi the better,” he turns to look at Naruto.

Naruto shifts in his seat, “I’m going with him,” 

“What?” Sakura and Kakashi both speak at the same time, taken aback. 

“I’m going with Sasuke,” Naruto repeats himself, “I- I think it’s a good idea for me to leave the village for a while. Plus, who’s gonna look after him. It’s not like Sasuke’s good at taking care of himself.” 

To Kakashi’s surprise, Sasuke’s laughing. That’s enough reason for Naruto to go. 

“Fine. Just come back, I don’t want to be stuck as Hokage for too long,” 

“For what it's worth,” Sakura says, “I think this is the worst idea anyone has ever had, and that includes the time Naruto jumped into Haku’s ice trap,” 

\---

Once again, Kakashi finds himself alone in his too big house. His afternoon was full of laughter, with people around. He keeps thinking of how determined Naruto looked, how he was practically glowing when Sasuke laughed. ‘ _It’s not like Sasuke’s good at taking care of himself_. Kakashi chuckles at that. The two of them make quite a pair, one that everyone from here to Kiri saw coming. 

Memories of a rainy Kumo night, a half muttered _‘I can’t lose you too_ ,’ and the ghost of Gai’s lips on his cheek hover in Kakashi’s mind as he puts the dishes away. He glances over to the stovetop where one last serving of ramen sits. 

“When I said see you soon, I didn’t mean this soon, rival,” Gai greets him at the balcony. 

“I’ve got to keep you on your toes, or I’m not much of a rival am I?” 

The slippers from the night before are still there. This time, Kakashi puts them on without much thought. He leaves the glass container on the counter. 

“There was extra,” he explains,”I figured, since you helped make it…”

“You didn’t have to,” 

“No, I wanted to,” Kakashi admits. It feels bigger than it should. After all, it’s just one bowl of ramen, right? 

Gai looks at him, and his expression softens, “Of course, I’ll eat it then. Thank you,”

“You should resign as Hokage and open a restaurant,” he says, a few bites later. 

“Can’t do that until Naruto comes back,” 

“So, he’s going with Sasuke?” 

“They both need their time away from here,” Kakashi thinks out loud, “They’ll be okay, they have each other.” 

“Will you be okay?” Gai asks, _looking after him,_ again. 

Kakashi smiles, looking out to the plants, “Yeah,”

“Kakashi?” Gai bumps his shoulder.

“Can I stay?” 

“You know you’re always welcome-”

“No, can I _stay?_ ” Kakashi leans his head onto Gai. 

Gai puts down the chopsticks and laces their fingers together, “Yeah, you can stay,” he says and presses a kiss into Kakashi’s hand, “You’ve always been welcome to stay.”

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: The only ramen I know how to make is the instant kind.


End file.
